Following is an opinion piece by Robert Knight, columnist for the Washington Times. Knight challenges conservatives to continue fighting the culture war against the secular left. Professing Christians, he says, must share the gospel as well as become involved in public policy. In other words, continuing to stand firm against evil is imperative. Knight writes:
With all the calls to conservatives to give up on the culture, the only thing lacking is a drone-riding witch over the Statue of Liberty skywriting “Surrender Dorothy.”
Right on cue following the Supreme Court’s demolition of marriage, The New York Times’ housebroken conservative David Brooks said it’s time to move on and leave cultural political issues in the dust.
First, he accurately diagnosed the situation: “More and more Christians feel estranged from mainstream culture. They fear they will soon be treated as social pariahs, the moral equivalent of segregationists because of their adherence to scriptural teaching on gay marriage. They fear their colleges will be decertified, their religious institutions will lose their tax-exempt status, their religious liberty will come under greater assault.”
Indeed.
Then he offered a solution: “Consider putting aside, in the current climate, the culture war .” In other words, leave the public square to radicals who are creating a government and culture openly hostile to anyone holding traditional values. Maybe they won’t hit you if you keep your head down.
But conscientious objection will soon cease to be an option. A case in point is unfolding in ever-more-progressive-and-thus-intolerant Oregon.
The state’s labor commissioner, Brad Avakian, was not content to uphold a ridiculously punitive $135,000 fine against two former Christian bakery owners for “emotional” damages to a lesbian couple for not baking a wedding cake in 2013 for them. He also recently issued a gag order.
Aaron and Melissa Klein of Sweet Cakes by Melissa were ordered to “cease and desist” sharing “any communication” about their decision to decline the cake request.
The Kleins, who closed their bakery, never refused routine service to all customers. They declined only to service an event — a same-sex “wedding” — citing their Christian beliefs against abetting or celebrating sin. Thanks to the progressive-minded Mr. Avakian, they can’t even explain why this is different from serving up some cupcakes.
After supporters raised $109,000 on GoFundMe to defend the Kleins, the crowd-funding website shut down the page to appease the forces of “tolerance.” The Kleins have since moved on to ContinuetoGive.com.
By the way, the aggrieved lesbians listed 178 “damages” they suffered for having to patronize another bakery, including “loss of appetite” and “weight gain.”
As the Oregon case shows, progressives are increasingly resorting to the use of government power to stamp out resistance. In the old Soviet Union, surviving churches were allowed to operate as long as congregants did not do charitable work or anything else beyond the closed doors. Absent a major correction, we are closing in on the Soviet reality. Continue reading
It’s too late. America entered the third and final “and God gave them over…” of Romans 1 at least fifty years ago and only now are the effects of that being experienced by our nation. “Political activism” or “being involved in public policy” have no place in any presentation of the Gospel. Many have believed the lie that they are obligated to do so, but the fruit of their efforts is always the same: confusion, an inept and powerless “Gospel” presentation that is increasingly compromised to the world’s point of view, a “Savior” who is subject to the whims of the creatures He made, all with no one being delivered from their sins and the culture as a whole falling further away from right thinking and the God who made them.
Sadly, “My people love to have it so…” Today’s ‘pew-sitter’ is more than content with an hour or so on Sunday morning where he can get his spiritual roofie on a regular basis. He is so eager to ingest the filth that passes for Gospel and is happy in his numb state, so happy that he does not know that he is dead in trespasses and sins and headed for eternal hell. He sees no need to study the Scriptures past his Sunday AM session that only reinforces his delusion of a secure soul. He refuses to entertain the notion that he may have committed sins that require repentance, for after all, he is a ‘saved church member’ and in good standing with his ‘church’. He is content to believe that his god is one exclusively of ‘love’ who would never send anyone to hell (if such a place even exists). Nor does his god (the god of American “Christianity”) reserve for himself the right of judgment, because he is “love” and has no need nor right to judge anyone. He pays his ‘tithe’ and thinks that is all that is required of him in order to please this ‘god’ he worships and is blissfully ignorant of the command of Jesus to forsake all and follow Him. You will never find such a person to oppose sin on any level, rather he will be the first to offer every excuse under the sun to exonerate those that offend the true God. He will be a man of pride, who knows not what it is to be humble before his Creator. And yet it is just such a person who will take it upon himself to correct his fellows in society and shroud his words in “Gospel-speak” so as to further deceive his hearers.
You will never find one prophet and certainly not the Lord Jesus Christ mixing the Gospel with political activism. Show me one in today’s world that has tried it and not ended up compromising the Gospel (hint: there are none). If one truly stands against the sins of our world in a godly manner he will suffer for it, but he will not back off or compromise the Gospel to do so. As the queer agenda continues unabated Christians will likely find themselves at a crossroad soon enough: agree with their sinful ways and ideas or suffer the consequences. And who is it of the ones described above that will not betray a “brother” or a family member in order to save their own worthless hide? We are happy in our complacency, our head is comfortable in the sand, and we are scared of making waves, or being labeled “divisive”, or homophobic, or whatever buzz word is used to pass along the necessary guilt required for compliance. Will you take a stand for the Gospel? Most have not and will not, despite their “profession of faith” and church membership. It might actually cost you something to be faithful, is this the God you serve, or do you serve the one that winks at sin?